Grade 5 Sample Student Work

Use one of the professional development activities at your next staff meeting or with your PLC.

Use the Common Core Standards to annotate one of the un-annotated pieces. Discuss your observations with your colleagues, and compare them to the annotated version in the collection.

Analyze a span of on-demand prompted pieces in a single writing type (for example, K-5 Informative/Explanatory writing) to develop a clearer understanding of the developmental progression across grade levels.

Use the “Revised and Edited” version of a piece as a model for students when you are teaching writing. Discuss the elements of effective writing described in the Standards. In what ways is this an effective piece? How might this piece be improved?

Look at a set of grade-level pieces in all of the three writing types and note the differences and similarities between the pieces. How, for example, are the argument pieces similar to the informative/explanatory pieces at your grade level? Which skills and techniques can be practiced and reinforced across writing types?

Compare the on-demand prompted piece at your grade level with the range of writing pieces. What are the similarities and differences in writing independently from a prompt and writing that stems from classroom content and instruction? What does this imply for your practice?

Professional Development Activity

30-60 minute activity that allows participants to:

Become familiar with the language and terminology used in the Common Core State Standards for Writing.

Refine and deepen understanding of grade level expectations in the CCSS .

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